The present disclosure relates generally to circuit breakers, and particularly to circuit breakers configured to be remotely operated.
Electrical panels typically house a plurality of circuit breakers that distribute power from a source to a plurality of loads while providing protection to the load circuits. The electrical panels may be single-phase, three-phase, or three-phase with switching neutral, may have a variety of voltage ratings, such as 120 Vac to 600 Vac for example, and may have a variety of current ratings, such as 125 Amps to 400 Amps for example, thereby enabling the electrical panels to serve a variety of applications. One such application is a lighting panel, which may be used to service lighting loads in a commercial building having a plurality of lighting circuits. To facilitate the efficient utilization of power in such commercial buildings, remote operated circuit breakers (ROCBs) may be employed that enable the lighting loads to be turned on and off from a location remote to the electrical panel or from within the electrical panel. During the operation of a ROCB, it is desirable to be able to rapidly open and rapidly close the main breaker contacts while the main breaker operating mechanism is in the on position. It is also desirable to be able to decouple the ROCB drive system from the main contacts when the main breaker operating mechanism is in the off or tripped position. While different types of ROCBs may employ different types of drive systems, such as solenoids and electric motors for example, not all drive systems lend themselves to perform as desired without the introduction of complex and costly subsystems. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a ROCB that overcomes these drawbacks.